Taylors cabernet shines out from shadow of shiraz in Clare Valley
From Taylors, the makers of the wine that beat Bordeaux’s best, comes a line-up of white and red wines worth celebrating.
The brilliance of the best Australian cabernet sauvignon is sometimes lost in the shadow of shiraz.
But it was a steadfast belief that Clare Valley could produce cabernet to rival Bordeaux that inspired Sydney hotelier Bill Taylor in the 1960s to make a leap of faith and invest heavily in establishing a winemaking enterprise.
The Australian Wine Club shines a light on Taylors this week, giving readers a chance to sample four Taylors wines (two of them made exclusively for our club) at great prices, while sharing the story of the family’s 50-year journey to cabernet glory.
It was actually on the same day that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, July 20, 1969, that Bill Taylor took his first steps on the farmland by Clare Valley’s Wakefield River that would form the foundation of the family’s wine estate.
The Taylors had become familiar with the potential of Clare Valley reds in the late 1950s when, as Sydney wine merchants, they partnered with the Clare Valley Co-operative to distribute their own wines under the Chateau Clare label. After much consideration, “Big Bill”, encouraged by his enthusiastic son Bill, purchased the 440-acre land holding near the village of Auburn.
“My grandfather had a love of the great wines of Europe and had a belief that Clare’s terroir could produce wines to rival the best from Bordeaux,’’ says Mitchell Taylor, winemaker and third-generation managing director of Taylors.
But when the family planted their newly acquired site to cabernet, at a time when Australia’s wine industry was still firmly focused on producing fortified wines, eyebrows were raised across the Clare.
“People thought we were mad,’’ says Mitchell, who in 2000 took over running the business from his father.
But the Taylors didn’t have to wait long for their first taste of success: the family’s first cabernet to be released, from the vintage of 1973, received a gold medal at every national wine show entered before going on to win the Montgomery Trophy at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show.
While Taylors’ reputation for quality wines had been well established by the time Mitchell took over the reins, he set about raising the bar further, working with then chief winemaker Adam Eggins to produce the ultimate expression of Taylors’ cabernet, to be only released from exceptional vintages in extremely limited quantities.
Named The Visionary after Bill Snr, it was the fifth vintage of this wine, the 2014, that took the wine world by storm by beating Bordeaux at its own game, being crowned “world’s best cabernet” at the Concours International Des Cabernets competition in France in 2018. A panel of France’s top sommeliers made the verdict from a field of more than 250 cabernets from around the world.
While the Concours result vindicated Big Bill’s belief in Clare cabernet, other international awards have underlined the consistent high quality being achieved across the Taylors portfolio, from its world-class rieslings and chardonnays to shiraz and cabernet.
“You do need a long-term vision to make great wine – you can’t be at the beck and call of private equity or the sharemarket,’’ Mitchell says. “Often you make decisions that you know are 10-year decisions, at least. It’s your signature on each bottle so we take quality very seriously.”
The Taylors are one of eleven families who are members of Australia’s First Families of Wine group. We’re proud to recommend these Taylors gems to you – they stand as trusted flagwavers of everything that’s great about Australian wine.
Taylors St Andrews Riesling 2019
From the Taylors’ historic St Andrews vineyard comes this elegant riesling, enticing with classic Clare aromas of lime, lemon and white flowers. Crisp and dry, beautifully integrated flavours of lemon sherbet and green apples lead to a refreshing, long finish. Brilliant value. Scored Double Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. 12.5% alc. RRP $43 a bottle.
SPECIALS $37.99 a bottle in any dozen; $28.99 in special Taylors dozen.
Taylors St Andrews Chardonnay 2018
James Halliday’s team remarked that this wine has “flavour and edginess wrapped into one”. Powerful yet restrained, the St Andrews shows off ripe white peach and tropical fruit aromas, along with subtle creamy oak, cashew nut and sweet spice. Taylors source its French oak from Louis Latour, a specialist Burgundian supplier, and the quality shines through. A cracker. 13% alc. RRP $43 a bottle.
SPECIALS $37.99 a bottle in any dozen; $28.99 in special Taylors dozen.
Exclusive to our wine club, the Heritage Shiraz is soft and generous, with aromas of plum, blackcurrant and dark cherry fruits. The ripe black fruit flavours fill the palate, backed by supporting mocha coffee notes, black pepper and spice. Fire up the barbecued beef Scotch fillets. 14.5% alc. RRP $35 a bottle.
SPECIALS $19.99 a bottle in any dozen; $28.99 in special Taylors dozen.
Taylors Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
From one of Clare’s best vintages for reds comes this intense cabernet that shows off Clare Valley at its best. Rich blackcurrant aromas lift from the glass with hints of tomato leaf, eucalypt and spice. Classic blackcurrant and cassis flavours are framed by fine, elegant tannins. Cedar cigar box notes and spice linger in the background on the way to a long finish. Exceptional value. 14.5% alc. RRP $35 a bottle.
SPECIALS $19.99 a bottle in any dozen; $28.99 in special Taylors dozen.
TAYLORS DOZEN Three bottles of each wine for $28.99 a bottle
Order online or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm AEST. Deals only available while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine.
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